the union had chanced the bombardment of the city of vicksburg, and new orleans had fallen. the tennessee, cumberland, and mississippi rivers seem to belong the north, not the south. and it must have seemed for a time in 1862 that this combination of events, particularly the naval successes for the union, were about to end the war between the states. and then the trend line changed. the father of water that lincoln boasted now flowed unvexed to the sea, became vexed all over again. so jim, let's start with you. what happened and why? >> well, the union navy was on a roll in the fall and winter of '61 and '62 and the spring of 1862. and it looked like they were going to open up the mississippi river completely in the summer of 1862. vicksburg was really the only confederate bastion still on the mississippi river, and both the sea-going fleet under, now-admiral david farrogot came up from the gulf of mexico to vicksburg and the so-called we were flotilla of river boats fought down the mississippi, capturing memphis on the way and a number of other places as well, and they comb